George Foster (baseball)

George Arthur Foster (born December 1, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player and scout.

After just a single year at El Camino College, Foster was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.

He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1969 through 1986, most notably as an integral member of the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he won two World Series championships, in 1975 and 1976.

He also played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.

After two seasons in their farm system, he debuted with the Giants at 20 years old in September 1969.

He went two-for-five with one run batted in as a pinch hitter and late inning defensive replacement.

That year on September 22, Willie Mays pinch hit for Foster and hit his career home run number 600.

Foster returned to the Giants in September of the following year, hitting his first career home run off the San Diego Padres' Pat Dobson.

He finally made an opening day roster in 1971 as a fourth outfielder behind Mays, Bobby Bonds and Ken Henderson, but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds shortly after the season started for shortstop Frank Duffy and pitcher Vern Geishert.

Foster was immediately inserted into the starting line-up in center field, as starting center fielder Bobby Tolan was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

The nucleus of the "Big Red Machine" began coming together that season, however, and the Reds returned to the post-season playoffs after a disappointing fourth-place finish in 1971.

He returned to a back-up role in 1972, platooning in right field with César Gerónimo, and managed just a .200 batting average, two home runs and twelve RBIs.

Foster played in the 1972 National League Championship Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates only as a pinch runner for Tony Pérez in game five of the series; he scored the series-winning run on a wild pitch from Bob Moose.

Foster appeared in games one and five of the World Series against the Oakland Athletics, but did not log an at-bat.

He spent the 1973 season with the Reds' triple A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, and made a September return to the majors when the minor league season ended.

He was not part of the Reds' post-season roster.

Tolan had suffered through a poor 1973 season in which he batted just .206, and was traded that winter to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Clay Kirby.

Foster, Merv Rettenmund and rookie Ken Griffey all took turns filling the hole the trade created in right field in 1974, with Foster batting .264 with seven home runs and 64 RBIs.

Early in the 1975 season, Reds manager Sparky Anderson shifted perennial All-Star Pete Rose to third base, and used a platoon of Foster and Dan Driessen in left.

Foster soon won the everyday job with a .300 batting average, 23 home runs and 78 RBIs.

With Foster now in left, the final piece of the "Big Red Machine" was in place.

The Reds won 108 games that year, tying the World Series champion Baltimore Orioles for the most regular season wins that decade.

They dominated the Pirates in the 1975 National League Championship Series, out-scoring their opponent 19–7 to sweep the series in three games.

For his part, Foster batted .364 and scored three runs.

The Boston Red Sox proved a far tougher opponent in the World Series, as the Reds needed seven games to win their first World Series title since.

Foster went two-for-six and drove in two runs in the classic game six of the World Series at Fenway Park.

His most memorable moment was on the field.

The game was tied, and with the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth inning, reigning MVP and Rookie of the Year Fred Lynn lifted a ball down the left field line.

Foster made the catch near the stands for the first out of the inning.

Denny Doyle tagged up on the play, and was out at home on a strong throw from Foster.

Rico Petrocelli grounded out to Rose at third for the final out and sent the game to extra innings.

Anderson moved Foster into the clean-up spot in his batting order during a 17-game hitting streak in June 1976 when Foster's batting average peaked at .343.

With 17 home runs and 71 RBI at the All-Star break, he was elected to start his first All-Star game.

He turned in an MVP performance with a two-run home run and third RBI to pace his team to a 7–1 victory over the American League All-Stars.

He ended the season batting .306 with 29 home runs and a major league-leading 121 RBIs to finish second, behind only teammate Joe Morgan, in National League MVP balloting.

Rose and Griffey also finished within the top ten.

A five-time All-Star, Foster was one of the most feared right-handed sluggers of his era, leading the National League in home runs in 1977 and 1978, and in RBIs in 1976, 1977, and 1978.

He won the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in 1977 and a Silver Slugger Award in 1981.

In 2003, Foster was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Foster attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California.